Photo by Apostazja mag.
Stigmata brings you interview with darkest Swedish dark ambient project – ATRIUM CARCERI. Simon Heath, the front man of the project, also known for ALVSKUGGA, ZA FRUMI and ABNOCTO bands. Enjoy!
Let's start from boring but still important ritual. Please introduce yourself. Where you from? Do you have musical education?
I'm of American/Swedish blood, residing in sweden. Musical Education as in going to schools, no, Musical Education in having studied music and music theory for most of my life outside of schools. Yes.
What do you think about musical education in general? Do you miss it somehow? Would it help you in your work or it would make it harder?
It would help me with some hardware issues I'm sure, but I dont share the "hit-making" theories that are teached at alot of these institutions. Listeners should not be treated as morons in my humble opinion.
When and how have you discovered industrial music?
Probably when I was around 10, although the definition of Industrial music is a bit blurry. I wouldnt not call my own music Industrial.
So, how do you call your own music? To me it's pretty logical evolution of LUSTMORD and SPK, who considered godfathers of post-industrial music.
It's really not up to me to put a label on it, its for the critics right?
What turned you from a regular listener into a musician? And how important music in your life?
I started making music at about the same time I started listening to it. I started producing when I was around 10-12.
ATRIUM CARCERI is your first musical experience or you had bands/ projects before?
Oh no, I have had lots of projects before that, but they are not connected to AC and I would not want the listeners to paint a vision of me as a composer in any way relating to previous or future works outside the AC spectrum.
Well, but do you have other musical projects beside AC?
Yes, quite a few active ones really. This year my 12th full length album will be released.
Could you tell me more about your other musical projects? 12 albums - a lot! I understand that this is an interview with AC, but I think that other musical projects should be mentioned... I'm pretty sure a lot of your fans would love to discover another dimensions of your talent.
I'm sorry, the time is not right yet. In this time, a moviedirector can direct both horror movies and romantic dramas without people raising their eyebrows, perhaps a time will come when a producer and artist is allowed to manifest ideas of several extremes, instead of just focusing on one... When the piece of art is disconnected from the portrait of an idol or artist. I will gladly delve deeper into explaining about my other thematics.
Well, if you do not want to speak about your other projects I give up.
You seem to like mysteries and I obey. And here is my new question: how much 'personal' in ATRIUM CARCERI? Does the project reflect your inner self or AC is nothing but fiction?
It is very personal and does reflect my inner self more so than other projects, but then again, my persona is shattered.
You have released a number of albums. Which one would you call a most important to you so far?
Most often the latest album is most important to me in the timeline I am residing in at the moment. But ofcourse the debut album would be most important in that it put AC on the map.
It seems that your new CD Ptahil begins a new era in AC career - your new sound is a bit different from the previous releases. Am i right?
I guess the newest Album has alot better production quality than the previous ones, I have never had an Idea to keep the same sound on all albums. And part of what I like about musicianship and producing is Experimentation, if we remove that... well I guess we would be on MTV or
stuck in a subculture defined by previous experimentations that didnt evolve further.
I will probably make albums darker, harder, lighter, more spiritual, less spiritual in the future. I will do it with as much production quality as is possible, because I love details, music and experimentation. Atleast that is what I appreciate when listening to other artists works.
Yes, I agree that experimentation is important thing, but don't you think that dark ambient became a one big pile of boring second-hand crap, and almost all new bands just copy LUSTMORD and RAISON D'ETRE? Where do you find inspiration for evolution of your music? What gives you fresh ideas?
Yes, there is alot of copying going on, instead of people trying to break free from it. But I can understand the frustration of experimentation, when alot of people keep criticizing albums that doesnt suit the genre they thought the album was meant for...
Fresh ideas comes in so many sizes and shapes, mostly from my inner journeys and visions. I guess I speak for alot of other artists when I say that these things grow once you put the pen/brush/key down and fall deep into the well of inspiration and it is there that we really connect with the threads of time, space and memories past.
From your answer I understood that you have no problems with inspiration and fresh ideas. This is pretty unusual - you are lucky one! What about realization of those ideas into music? Do you have any problems with it? Are you 100% satisfied with final result when your new album is out?
No, im never 100% satisfied, but the time is right when the 99.9% is perfect. But then again all artists grow tired of their own art after awhile.
And could you tell me a bit about the concept of the album? The booklet doesn't explains much (as almost all booklets of your releases)?
It is about finding our lost home of past times, the ancient place we SHOULD call home, but is reffered to as madness/schizofrenia and so on. The time of lives long gone, a place where the burned out memories of our past psychies lay shattered like an icy mist. And it is ofcourse about the process of reincarnation and separation of body and "soul/ego". The concept in detail
is far to complex to even begin to describe in an interview. But I am sure the people moved by the visions will dig inwards and unlock the secrets we all carry about our past greatness.
If we continue our talk about your latest album I should mention that it becomes less dark ambient-ish and 'cinematographic' and more melodic. Some would even call your evolution as a way to darkwave. Do you have any visions how would sound your new album?
I don't think it's less dark at all, but a common referance for people seem to be that the more repetition and less detail, the darker it is. And the lower quality of sound, the darker and more sinister. I don't really share those ideas. I never thought in my growing up that lo-fi was good in any way. My new album... it is to early to tell, but the material so far is abit organic, like the texture of a womb.
Who is doing artwork for your Cds?
Myself with some help from Armenian artist Carolin Terzian. Also sometimes consulted by Sculpturer and Psychonaut Donald Persson which I have had several other musical journeys with.
I should admit that AC artworks differ from typical dark ambient releases. And I like them a lot. Are you a designer or it's your hobby? How important artworks for understanding of your music?
Thank you, I worked as an Art Director before quitting and building my new studio and the artwork is highly important to the music in my mind. And constructed in a similar way, subtle details aplenty. I wonder why no one has discovered "the apple" in any of my artwork yet... I guess someone will be the first. There is alot of clues for the storyline and what is happening through all artwork if you think about the symbolic value of certain images, and the bakground noise in certain shapes. For example, In Ptahil a picture of a crucified Christ is depicted, while sumerian statues hail their new god, the sumerian scriptures in of old bleeding from the heart of ancients.
You were an Art Director? I am a designer as well, that's why I pay so much attention to other people's artworks. What is born first when you work on your album - the music or it's visual component?
Usually they overlap, its all interwoven to the ideas and planning stages, and often they somewhat melt together. I always listen to the album I am producing while visualizing the images.
You told me that after quitting career as Art Director you work in your own studio. So, you create some commercial music as well?
No, I am not that fond of the strict rules for commercial music... or the listeners of such simplicity.
What kind of music do you listen for your own pleasure?
Alot, but mostly (regarding all my projects) listen to music from other genres than those I'm currently producing, this is a consciouss choice to not fall into the trap of copying the trends of other artists subconsiously. I always strive to produce and experiment with things people have not tried yet.
All your albums seem to be based on dark or even scary concepts, and AC music is far from being a MTV format. How do you find themes for your work?
They are everywhere around us, delve deep and observe what is REALLY going on around us... and perhaps we will look into the same room on the other side of the glass.
In your answers and albums you talk a lot about your inner journeys. Do you practice magic? Use nice little pills? Or your inner journeys are nothing but thoughts about various things?
I have been known to delve in the occult, using hallucinogens and entering meditative states of mind, but the thought aspect of it all, is probably the most interesting... especially combined with the other evolved states of mind.
As far as I know AC has never played live. Do you plan live show someday or AC 100% studio band?
I actually did play live at WGT2005 if im not mistaken. But I have not had time to play any live-acts as of late, I guess I spend too much time perfecting my productions....
You have played live? Man, I haven't know that! So, do you like playing live? And how do you play? In regular 'Swedish' manner - drunk and with a beer in your hand, or there is a place for performance during AC show?
Much more timid than drunk, with focus on sounds rather than my own identity.
New technologies become more and more affordable these days and many bands begin to play around with DVD and movies. MLADA FRONTA have created a great movie, RAISON D'ETRE has released a DVD. What about you? Any plans to visualize AC?
Yes actually... but its too early to tell anything more im afraid.
So, you are thinking about doing a movie... cool! Got any examples to follow? For example I see a lot of common with AC artworks and Silent Hill movie...
Yeah Silent Hill was very beautiful, almost as rusty and gritty as the games... but when you put hysterical american actresses in a movie that clearly has a japanese edge, it becomes just so so in the end.
Time will tell when I'm ready to let some more information out to the public on the movie...
Another tricky question. What do you wish you knew when you first started out that you know now about your work?
Nothing, I embrace evolution with open arms.
Lets come back to your latest album. One of it's tracks contains a sample from Russian radiobroadcast about some kind of tragedy. I wonder, you have used the sample on purpose or it was recorded without understanding words?
Yes, I have used that sample on purpose.
So, you speak Russian?
I guess I do!
My russian is a bit rusty, but my associates help translate.
|
